


I Miss Hermosillo

by ProfConversationalist



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, But they really don't act like it, Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, My courier may be high int, NCR | New California Republic, Nonbinary Courier, Other, Slow Burn, i did not think this through
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:26:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25030879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProfConversationalist/pseuds/ProfConversationalist
Summary: A doctor takes a job as a Courier for the caps, ends up regretting it greatly and end up travelling across the desert and getting involved unwillingly in politics.This is just a "fun" story about them and their adventures across the Mojave Desert where they are accompanied by their close friends and found family.
Comments: 6
Kudos: 20





	1. Our Lady Of Guadalupe

“C’mon Doc, let me see it!”

The courier scoffed, taking one last look at the chip before pocketing it.

“You wish. You would just break it somehow, and then we would have travelled all this way for nothing.”

The courier was accompanied by a lifelong friend, Jesús Valencia. They had travelled from Hermosillo, to Mexicali, and now, to New Vegas, together.

“C’mon Garcia, you’re no fun.” Jesús elbowed them playfully, frowning as they pushed him away. Jesús sighed and crossed his arms, falling behind the courier. 

“And you wonder why Hector left us.” 

The Courier rolled their eyes and continued walking, they were getting closer to Goodsprings, and the two were hot, tired, and hungry. 

“I could be back home in Hermosillo right now, playing with my little brothers and eating dinner mama made from scratch and not some pre-war shit.”

“Well then maybe you should just go back home,” The courier looked at Jesús and sneered, “maybe you SHOULD just follow Hector back home with your tails behind your legs.” They sure as hell weren’t going back, no sir, Doctor Garcia had better things to do than sit around all day babysitting their younger siblings. Jesús stared at them in disbelief, before looking down at the ground and following them. Sometimes they wondered why they even brought their two friends with them, Hector left as soon as their caravan was attacked, and Jesús stayed for no apparent reason, he was just a bother most of the time. The courier looked back at Jesús before sighing, digging the chip out of their pocket and flipping it at him. He caught it in the air, examining it before looking up at them confused.

“It’s just a normal chip? Why would someone need this delivered such a far distance?” 

The courier shrugged, 

“It’s not our job to ask questions. We just do the job, get our caps, and buy back as many supplies as we can.” They missed being a doctor, the work in Mexicali paid well, but it’s hard to do doctor work when a bunch of raiders come and take your supplies by force and leave you with nothing. The courier touched their lip, wincing in pain. It all happened so fast, they just remembered waking up to shouting and being hit in the face so hard it split their lip.

“Hey Doc it’s okay, you’re still as pretty as the day we met!” they snapped out of their daydream at the sound of Jesús’ voice, and glared at him.

“Shut up.”

The two made it to Goodsprings before nightfall, setting up camp. It wasn’t the ideal place to stay for the night, but it was on the way and it had water and people around so they weren’t alone. Jesús went to the saloon while the courier sat with their stuff outside, reading a medical book they stole from the _Universidad del Valle de México_ , one of the best schools in Hermosillo to study in the medical field. Fortunately, Hermosillo was not one of the targeted cities in Mexico when the bombs dropped, unfortunately, they hit just close enough to wipe out a good percent of the population. The courier spent most of their childhood within the university, reading as many medical books as they could find within the buildings. There were no professors or students around to stop them, so they were able to grab and read as many books as they could before looters came and started using books as kindle for fires.

“Are you reading that book _again_?” Jesús walked over with two bottles of sunset sarsaparilla in his hands. The courier took the bottle Jesús held out to them and nodded, 

“It doesn’t hurt to refresh my memory.” They took a drink of the warm soda, and made a face of disgust. They preferred water, but Jesús bought it for them so they would force themself to drink it, even if it killed them. Jesús sat next to them on the sleeping bag and crossed his legs, using a stick to play with the fire. The courier examined him, his green eyes intently watched the fire and his dark long hair sat loosely in a bun on the top of his head. He was attractive, despite the scar that sat on the bridge of his nose, courtesy of the courier in their younger days. 

“ _Charlie_ ,” Jesús turned to them, shaking them from their thoughts. 

“Jesús.”

He sighed and rubbed the back of his head, 

“After we deliver the chip, we need to go back home.” They stared at him, closing their book.

“We were planning on going back to Mexicali anyways-”

“No no no, we need to go back to _Hermosillo_ ,” He looked at them with sad eyes, “Our parents are getting old, and the wasteland is unkind, I want to see my parents before it's too late, and your parents-”

“ _My_ parents understand. I’m sorry _yours_ expect you to live and babysit in Hermosillo forever.” The courier felt themselves getting angry, they knew deep down that Jesús was a family man, and they would never be his family nor could they give him one.

“Then, after we deliver the chip, I will accompany you to Mexicali, and I will go back home.” 

The two sat in silence, they both knew neither would change the others mind. 

“I’m going to bed.” The courier closed their book and turned away from Jesús, laying on their back and looking at the stars. 

“Okay, I’ll keep watch first,” The two always slept in shifts, if they hadn’t they would have been dead long long ago, “goodnight Charlie.” 

The courier ignored him and closed their eyes, listening to the fire cackling as they drifted off to sleep.

Charlie woke up to silence, slowly opening their eyes and looking around. The fire was dead and Jesús was gone. They sat up suddenly, this was not something Jesús would do, especially not in an area they were not familiar with. The courier put on their glasses and looked around frantically. 

“Jesús?” It was still dark, so it was hard to see with the fire out and the moon didn’t help all that much. 

“Jesús this isn’t funny-” they stumbled while trying to stand up, trying to find a sign that he was still there. Their stomach dropped when they realized his stuff was gone, and only a piece of paper was left where his sleeping bag used to lay. Charlie picked up the note, holding back tears as they read it. 

“ _Charlie,_

_I’m sorry,_

_-Jesús_ ”

“You asshole! That's all you leave me with?” They crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it onto the embers, tears streaming down their face. 

“ _Te odio, bastardo! Me dejaste!_ ” They sat back down on the sleeping bag, checking for the chip and letting go of the breath they were holding when they realized he at least left them the chip. If Charlie were to ever go back home, it would be to kick Jesús’ ass and to kick his ass only. The courier felt hope rise in them as they heard footsteps approach them from behind. 

“Jesús?” They stood up and turned around quickly, only to be greeted by a shovel to their head, knocking them out. 

“You got what you were after, so pay up.”

Charlie stirred awake, wincing at the throbbing pain in their head. They tried to rub their head but realized their hands were tied. 

“You’re crying in the rain, pally.”

_‘Jesús?’_

They tried to speak, but couldn’t as their mouth was gagged.

“Guess who’s wakin’ up over here.” 

They groaned as they were sat upright, looking up at a blurry image of three men standing in front of them. 

“Time to cash out.” The man in the blurry black and white suit dropped something and stepped on it before approaching them. From the smell alone they could tell it was a cigarette, their father used to smoke all the time. 

_‘Oh papa, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have left you,’_

“Would you get it over with?” A man behind the blurry suit man chimed in impatiently. 

Charlie felt years of regret suddenly crash down upon them like a wave, they should’ve appreciated their parents more, they should’ve read more books, they should’ve thanked their mother for every meal and they should’ve prayed every night like the rest of their family did. Charlie looked up at the man in the suit through teary eyes, and watched as he raised a hand to silence his comrade. 

“Maybe Khans kill people without looking them in the face, but I ain’t a fink, dig?”

Charlie gulped, they couldn’t die, they had to go home and see their family again, they had to see Jesús again and they had to hug their parents for as long and as tightly as they could.

‘ _God, if I make it out of here alive, I promise I’ll go home, I’ll marry Jesús like papa wanted and I’ll never leave my family ever again, please, anything to get me out of this,’_

They started twisting their hands, panic quickly building up and starting to take control. The courier paused as the man pulled out the chip.

“You’ve made your last delivery, kid.”

‘ _All this for a CHIP?’_

“Sorry you got twisted up in this scene.” He put the chip back in his pocket, pulling out a pistol. 

Their stomach dropped, they were not going to make it out of this alive. Despite the tears in their eyes and the fact they weren’t wearing glasses, they could see it as clear as day, the Virgin Mary was pictured on the grip. 

‘ _Our lady of Guadalupe’_

They should’ve definitely prayed more.

“From where you’re kneeling it must seem like an 18-karat run of bad luck.” He looked at the Lady before slowly aiming the gun at Charlie's head. The probability of surviving a gunshot to the head point blank was incredibly low, and they didn’t even know if there was a doctor who would be able to save them nearby. If they could be their own doctor, they would probably survive this, but unlike Leonid Rogozov, they were in no position to do that.

“Truth is, the game was rigged from the start.” 

They turned their head to look away, they couldn’t believe they were going to die on their knees in front of some guy in an ugly blurry suit.

_‘No quiera jugar no quiera ju-’_

There was a flash and a loud bang, cutting off Charlie's thought. 

It was impossible to tell for how long they were out, it had felt like months; and seconds; all at the same time.

It was warm, there was no cold desert at night and no scorching sun during the day, they couldn’t feel sadness or anger and they couldn’t feel the hatred they had for Jesús for leaving them to die. It was just warm and quiet, much like how the college library had been on most hot summer days. What was the college name again? Why were they mad at someone? Who even was that someone? It all meant nothing now, like water off a duck's back. 

Before they knew it, they were staring at a ceiling fan.


	2. What's The Damage?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Up and at 'em

"You're awake. How about that." 

The courier winced in pain as they sat up, facing a man in a seat next to the bed. He leaned forward to help them steady themself, looking at them with concern.

"Easy there, you've been out a couple of days now." 

They looked at him in shock, had it really been that long? What even happened? 

"Why don't you just relax a second? Get your bearings?" The courier nodded slowly, their head throbbing in pain. They put a hand up to their head and felt cloth, most likely bandages. They looked around the room, from the looks of all the medical equipment, the man in front of them was a doctor. 

"Let's see what the damage is. How about your name? Can you tell me your name?" 

They thought for a moment before shaking their head. 

"Isn't a doctor supposed to know his patient's name?" Great, the first thing they say to him is some sarcastic ass comment.

He smiled and nodded, 

"I know your name, just wanted to see if you remembered it." 

_'Right, of course, idiot.'_ They cursed at themself and looked around. 

"Any hints?" 

The doctor nodded and pulled a note out of his pocket, handing it to them.

"I hope you don't mind but I went through your things, found this." 

They opened the note and struggled to read it. It was a letter from their parents. The courier stopped for a moment, they couldn't remember their parents. They shook away that thought and continued reading before finally finding a name that rang a bell.

"Well, I guess I'm Charlie." They set the note down and looked at the doctor, who just smiled back at them.

"Can't say it's what I'd have picked for you. But if that's your name, that's your name." He smiled warmly, "I'm Doc Mitchell. Welcome to Goodsprings." 

Charlie nodded in response, it felt inappropriate to make a joke about how warm their welcome felt. 

"Now, I hope you don't mind, but I had to go rooting around there in your noggin to pull all the bits of lead out." 

They paused, confused for a second before remembering they were shot. Holy shit they were shot in the head, they had to be the luckiest person in all of the wasteland to survive that. 

"...if I left anything out of place." 

_'Oh shit was he talking to me?'_ They blushed and took the Reflectron from him, examining themself in it. Charlie frowned at the image, they really looked like shit didn't they? Maybe it was also the fact the image was blurry, but they knew deep down they really looked like _that._

"Wow Doc, I look great for a blurry blob on a screen." 

Doc Mitchell eyed them for a moment with an unamused look on his face before standing up. 

"Tried to fix your glasses, but sadly they were too broken from the blunt weapon you took to your face."

"Right, shovel to the face outta do that." They watched him as he walked over to a table, picking a pair of glasses up off of them and handing them to Charlie. 

"I don't know what your prescription was, but this is the closest I'll get to it. Careful putting them on-" 

Charlie winced in pain as they put the glasses on, 

"-your nose was broken." 

They looked at him, smiling nervously 

"Yeah, I should've maybe waited." 

"Yeah, maybe." He sat back down and looked at the Reflectron in their lap

"Take another look, see how clear things seem now." Charlie nodded and held it up, oh hey they didn't look bad aside from the broken nose, the split lip, the bandages, the bags under their eyes and the multiple bruises on their face. They handed the Reflectron back to him, shrugging.

"Well I got most of it right hopefully." He stood up, holding out a hand for Charlie to take.

"No sense keeping you in bed anymore. Let's see if we can get you on your feet." They stood up slowly, holding their head as it started to throb in pain. After a few moments they adjusted, looking around without any pain or blurriness. 

"Good. Why don't you walk down to the end of the room? Over by that vigor tester machine there. Take it slow, it ain't a race." Charlie walked over slowly, putting one foot in front of the other as if their life depended on it. 

After a few minutes, they had gotten their results and turned to him. He looked at them and raised an eyebrow,

"Now that don't make a lick of sense, seems to me you're the luckiest son of a gun in New Vegas." 

Their luck was 2, /2/. They were sure even the worst gambler in Vegas had better luck than them. 

“Well, we know your vitals are good, but that don’t mean that bullet you nuttier than a bighorner dropping. What do you say you take a seat on my couch and we go through a couple questions? See if your dogs are still barking.” Charlie nodded in response, and sat down on his couch. This room was warmer, and more comfortable looking than their previous room.

“All right. I’m gonna say a word. I want you to say the first thing that comes to mind. Dog.”

“Cat.” They loved dogs, the word cat was just the first thing that came to mind.

“House.”

“Shelter.” Charlie paused for a moment, a sense of familiarity came with the word house, it was like a memory was stuck on the tip of their tongue, almost coming to mind before Doc Mitchell interrupted with his next word.

“Night.”

“Campfire.” Even the word campfire struck a chord, they could almost remember something- or someone- familiar.

“Bandit.”

“Reasonable.” Charlie wasn’t the type to fight, talking their way out of many fights that they couldn’t remember at the moment, but were sure they were smart enough to avoid.

“Light.”

“Dark.” They could recall many nights on the road, with campfires and other people, and the darkness of the desert could almost swallow you up if not for the bright moon that illuminated the land. 

“Mother.”

“Regret.” Great, of course, that’s the first thing you want to come to mind when thinking about your parents. Charlie remembered the letter, feeling a pang of sadness, knowing there would be a good chance they would not ever remember their parents ever again.

Doc Mitchell examined Charlie for a moment before nodding, 

“Okay. Now I’ve got a few statements. I want you to tell me how much they sound like something you’d say. First one, ‘Conflict just ain’t in my nature’.”

“I wish, I suppose my loud mouth gets me into spots that are unfavorable.” He nodded in agreement, causing Charlie to roll their eyes. 

“I ain’t given to relying on others for support.”

“Support from others can go a long way.” It was true, it was good to be independent, but sometimes it was nice to have a friend help you out.

“I’m always fixing to be the center of attention.”

Charlie paused, it always felt good to be the center of attention, to have your name be known.

“Sometimes.” They liked to be the center of attention, just maybe not during fights or in dangerous scenarios.

“I’m slow to embrace new ideas.” 

“Of course not.” Charlie loved new ideas, just the idea of having a calm level headed debate sounded thrilling. 

“I charge in to deal with my problems head-on.”

“Definitely not,” you don’t walk into a surgery without a briefing of what happened to your patient, or you don’t defuse a bomb without knowing where it is or any knowledge of explosives.

Doc Mitchell looked at them and pulled out a few pieces of paper, 

“Almost done here. What do you say you have a look at this? Tell me what you see.” 

Charlie examined the picture before shrugging,

“It looks like an oozing wound to me.”

“Okay, how about this one?”

They giggled and looking down, 

“Doc I’m a bit embarrassed to say.” Doc Mitchell eyed them for a moment before rolling his eyes and smiling.

“Last one.” 

“A mushroom cloud.”

“Well, that’s all she wrote.” Doc Mitchell put down all the pictures before looking at his clipboard and handing it to Charlie. 

“I don’t have nothin’ to compare it to, so maybe you’d better just have a look at the results. See if it seems right to you.” They looked at the answers and nodded, Medicine, science, and speech were definitely their strong suits. 

They filled out one more form before Doc Mitchell handed them their bag and pointed to the restroom.

“You can get dressed in there, and when you’re done just meet me out here and I’ll see you out.” Charlie nodded and thanked him before heading into the bathroom. They dug through the bag, finding a few odd items and articles of clothing. The contents were this; a rosary, a letter from their parents, a canteen with hair ties wrapped around it, stimpaks, med-x, a small bag full of bottle caps, a red bandana, and fingerless gloves. They had a feeling the red bandana wasn’t theirs, but they put it around their neck anyways. After getting dressed in their clothes, they slid on the gloves and walked out to meet Doc Mitchell. 

“Well, if you’re heading back out there, you ought to have this.” He pulled out a pipboy and handed it to Charlie.

“They call it a Pip-Boy. I grew up in one of them vaults they made before the war. We all got one. Ain’t much use to me now, but you might want such a thing, after what you been through. I know what it’s like, having something taken from you.”

Charlie put on the pip-boy and examined it, smiling at him softly. 

“Thank you, for everything.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s what I’m here for. You should talk to Sunny Smiles before you leave town, she’ll likely be at the saloon. And the metal fella, Victor, who pulled you outta your grave.”

They nodded and shook his hand before opening the door. Charlie checked the pip-boy and turned around, smiling softly at the Doc. 

“Thank you.” 

He nodded in response and smiled, 

“Go on now, you have a lot to do.”

They turned around and walked into the desert, taking a deep breath and closing the door behind them. 

Charlie immediately felt the harsh sun, and covered their face, pulling up the bandana and covering their eyes with their hand. After a few moments, their eyes readjusted to the light and they looked around. It was a little ghost town, if you saw it from afar you would assume it had been abandoned.

They sighed and made their way down the hill, it was obvious they had a long way to go before they were able to get back on their feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me way too long to write because I've been procrastinating big time.


	3. Ranger Station Charlie

"Hey ed back up will ya? Your big head is blocking my view." Ed-e beeped sadly and fell behind Charlie and Boone, occasionally chirping to remind the two that it was still there. Charlie laughed and waved their hand to dismiss the many sad beeps. 

"Another beautiful night in the desert, wouldn't you say Boone?" 

The sniper just readjusted the strap across on his shoulder and shrugged.

"Sure." 

The light from Charlie's pipboy danced along the ground and against the walls of the mountain as they walked along the road.

The three had just finished sending a group of religious ghouls to their deaths in rocket ships and were back on their way to Novac. 

Charlie couldn't help but imagine what happened to the ghouls, how injured they'd be when the ships inevitably came back down. Oh well, a problem for another doctor. 

When they got back to the main road, Charlie stopped and turned to Boone.

"Isn't there a ranger station out here?" 

"Ranger station Charlie."

"Yeah I know that's what I said." They smiled at him as he just frowned in response to the bad joke, 

"Let's go pop in and say hi!" 

"It's 3 am." 

"If I'm awake at 3 am I'm willing to make that everyone else's problem, let's go." Boone didn't protest and just followed behind as Charlie started walking in the direction of the station. As much as they were childish and sometimes selfish, they did help him out with Jeannie and proved they could do well in dangerous situations. Big Iron played from the pipboy on Charlie's wrist, it was probably the hundredth time they've heard that song but they didn't seem to mind. 

When the three got to the station, it was quiet. 

"Aren't there usually people out and about here?" 

"Yeah." Boones eyebrows furrowed and he unslung his rifle and held it, looking around to make sure they were alone. Charlie cautiously walked into the small camp, checking the small trailers around and finding no one.

"Maybe they're inside the station." They glanced at Boone nervously and rested their hand on the revolver that was holstered on their hip. Ed-e chirped curiously as Charlie carefully opened the door to the station, poking their head inside and then fully stepping inside.

As soon as they stepped inside the two covered their noses. 

"Is that smell,,?" 

"Yeah, it is." Charlie gagged as they looked into the other room, where bodies had started to decompose. 

"I was just here the other day," Charlie started to step into the room when they froze. Time seemed to slow down as soon as they heard the first beep of a landmine. 

"Fuck-" Charlie kicked the mine further into the room as Boone grabbed their arm and pulled them back as the mine blew, knocking them both down. 

For a minute or two the only sounds were the frantic beeps from Ed-e, who was flying in circles around the room freaking out as Boone and Charlie were still on the ground. 

For once Boone was the first to speak, 

"Did you,,,just kick a mine,,as it was about to blow?" 

"Why? Did it look cool?" Charlie turned their head to look at him, still trying to catch their breath. Boone just sighed and fixed his beret and sunglasses as he sat up, knowing his back was gonna be sore for the next year probably. After another minute of silence, Charlie started laughing.

"Holy shit Boone I _kicked_ a mine, I'm amazing!" Boone rolled his eyes as he stood up, holding out his hand to help Charlie up. They took it and continued to laugh even after feeling something wet running down their leg. Boones eyes widened slightly as he looked down and saw a sharp piece of metal buried in their leg, dark blood bleeding through the fabric of their pants. 

Before he could open his mouth, they put a finger up and shushed him.

"If you point it out, the adrenaline rush is gone and I'll feel it, we both acknowledge it, and you grab me that first aid pack as I walk- not in pain- to the desk and sit on it, okay?" Boone nodded and let go of their hand, slowly backing away to grab the first aid pack that was on the wall. Their perfect plan was ruined as soon as Ed-e started beeping frantically, worried for Charlie.

They suddenly felt the sharp pain in their leg and immediately took all the weight off of that leg, leading to them falling into the desk and then onto the ground. Boone threw the pack to them and they opened it up frantically, looking for one thing specifically; med-x. Charlie felt their stomach drop upon not finding anything to numb the pain, biting their tongue and grabbing the rest of the supplies they needed. 

"Alright uh, boone come over here and hold this rag for me. I'll walk you through what you need to do," he nodded and kneeled next to them, blood pooling around his boots. The NCR gave him minimal medical training, so he knew the basics of what was required of him in this situation. 

After cleaning the area around the wound, Charlie took a deep breath and looked at the shrapnel.

"Okay, I'm going to pull this out, I need you to hold the rag to the wound and put pressure on it so I don't immediately bleed to death." 

"Okay." 

Charlie bit their lip as they slowly started to pull out the shrapnel, trying to fight their urge to yank it out.

"Fucking legion, fucking discount Roman soldier bastards leaving their damn mines everywhere-" they teared up as they finally pulled it out, the shrapnel being replaced by Boones hand. 

"Fucking NCR not having med-x in their first aid kit, who do they think they are not having the bare essentials-" Charlie waved his hand away after grabbing what they needed and they immediately went to work. 

After about a few minutes they tied off the last stitch and sighed, looking at the blood that covered their leg and the ground around them. 

Charlie slowly stood up and held onto Boones arm to steady themself. 

"Do you think they have clothes here," Charlie winced and looked to Boone, who just nodded in the direction of the room where Charlie stepped on the mine. They sighed and let go of his arm, limping to the wall and leaning against it.

"You think they won't mind if I wear some dead soldiers outfit?" 

"I think the NCR has bigger things to worry about." They thought for a moment before nodding in agreement, holding their breath and then stepping into the room. Their eyes swept the floor as they slowly walked towards the lockers, opening them to look for something that would fit. Charlie grabbed the smallest outfit and began to undress, their back turned to the dead bodies in the room. 

"This is the weirdest thing I've ever done," they shivered at the thought of dressing in front of a bunch of dead people, but figured it was better than dressing in front of Boone, no offense. 

Charlie finished dressing and stood up straight, already feeling the weight of the armor. They limped out of the room and looked at Boone, holding out their arms.

"I don't hug." 

"I don't either, carry me."

"You look like you can walk." 

"Three words, Jeannie. May. Crawford." He just sighed and nodded, 

"Fine, but it has to be piggyback." 

"Fine." He turned around and unslung his rifle, putting it on the desk before kneeling to let Charlie on. They wrapped their arms around him and winced as he held onto their legs, hand accidentally brushing against their injury.

"Watch the hands mister." 

"I can make you walk." 

"No it's fine I'll tough it out." They grabbed his rifle and slung it over their shoulder, resting their head on his shoulder. Boone kicked the door open and started walking back with Ed-e following behind closely. By the time the 3 of them made it back, Charlie was already knocked out and not waking up to any of his questions. Boone just groaned and walked to his room, struggling to open the door. He walked inside and carefully set Charlie on the bed, taking his rifle back and locking the door behind him. As soon as the room was silent again, Big Iron played for the millionth time from Charlie's pipboy, causing Boone to just sigh loudly and switch off the radio on their pipboy. He leaned back into his chair and started to fall asleep, still holding the rifle that was laid across his lap. 

They had a busy week and knowing Charlie, they would probably be able to rest for a couple of days before immediately going back to the grind. 

The next morning, by the time Boone woke up Charlie was already up and about.

“I talked to Manny, I know where we need to go next, but first I want to do something else.” He just rubbed his eyes groggily and looked at Charlie. Their new outfit was different, their red bandana and flannel gone and replaced with the ugly green of the NCR uniform.

“You should be resting.”

“I’m fine, I just took some Med-x and I feel great!” He just rolled his eyes at them and crossed his arms. If they took too much they’d become addicted, and then the rest of the trip would be hell on everyone.

“Anyways! Have you ever listened to Black Mountain Radio?” 

“Yes.” 

“Great! So you know how much it sucks?”

“Where are you going with this?”

Charlie smiled and shook his shoulders excitedly,

“Let’s go!”

Boone frowned and looked at Ed-e, who was in power save mode on the dresser. He wasn’t sure how this was going to help them in the fight against the legion, and it really just seemed like a waste of time.

“Why?”

“You aren’t supposed to ask questions, you’re just supposed to follow me and shoot any legion forces on the way!” He sighed and nodded, it was a waste of time to try and talk Charlie out of it, so he just stood up and grabbed his gun, waiting for them to start walking. 

“Ed c’mon let’s go!” Ed-e powered up and beeped enthusiastically, following the two out of the room. 

On the way there, Boone watched Charlie walk. They didn’t seem to have a limp but they didn’t necessarily walk like a totally healthy person. From being shot in the head and stepping on a mine, it was starting to become obvious they have been seriously injured a few times. His back was sore from being thrown from the blast, but he could’ve had it a lot worse, not that he was complaining. 

“The place will be crawling in super mutants right? Right. So uh, just shoot. Don’t wait for me if you see an enemy before I do.” He just nodded in response and grasped his gun as they approached the end of the mountain, looking up. They both knew how fun it was going to be as soon as they heard Ed-e start playing his little song, and super mutants came running their way. 

By the time the trio made it up the mountain, they were all tired. Boone and Charlie took turns shooting while the other reloaded, and Ed-e fired non-stop. 

“This is even worse than almost being blown up by a mine.” Charlie groaned and stopped walking, it was a steep hill and their leg had started to hurt again. 

“Your idea.”

“Yeah yeah.” Charlie rolled their eyes and looked around, they had taken out pretty much all of the mutants and nightkin, leaving them in an empty area with a few buildings scattered about. They turned to one building, walking towards it.

“Think there’s any mines here?” before Boone could shrug in response, Charlie had already stepped inside.

It wasn’t necessarily any cooler, but it still felt good to be out of the sun. Charlie pulled down their scarf, fanning their face to cool off before Boone stepped in. They quickly pulled their scarf back up and smiled at him, still fanning. He looked around before nodding at a terminal. Charlie limped over to the terminal, sitting in the chair to read from it. Although before they could even press anything, they heard a cough in the room next to them. The two just looked at each other before quietly making their way over to the door. Boone tried the handle before shaking his head,

“It’s locked.” 

“We can unlock it!”

“Do you know the password?”

Boone just raised an eyebrow at Charlie, who started punching in random numbers.

“If it were me, I’d do the easiest sequence of numbers.” He just watched them punch in numbers in an ascending order before they stopped at nine and the door lock clicked.

“Bam. I’m a genius.” 

“That was luck.” 

“I don’t believe in luck baby, I’m just smart.” they smiled at him before opening the door and pausing at the sight. It was a ghoul, just sitting at the desk. 

“Who are you?”

“I’m Charlie, and you must be Raul! I’m here to save you!” 

Both Boone and Raul just made confused faces,

“You never said anything about saving anyone.” Boone crossed his arms and frowned slightly. He wasn’t against saving this guy, he was just slightly irritated Charlie didn’t tell him in the first place.

Charlie shrugged,

“He’s good at fixing stuff, we have stuff to be fixed,” they nodded in the direction of Ed-e,

“Honestly Boone, neither of us are good with electronics, if Ed-e dies we will be unable to fix him and I’ll be sad.”

“You’re rescuing me to help you fix your robot?”

“Yes.”

Raul paused to think before shrugging,

“Alright Boss, where to next?” Raul stood up and pushed in his chair, walking over to Charlie and Boone. 

“Let’s get the hell out of here.” Charlie walked past Boone and made their way to the door, opening it cautiously and peaking out.

“Uh Boss, is your leg supposed to be bleeding like this?” They looked down and saw blood starting to seep through their pant legs, again. 

“I stepped on a landmine, it’s nothing I can’t handle.” 

Raul just looked at Boone who just shrugged, he was already used to Charlie and was no longer phased by whatever weird things they had to say or do. 

“I think if we ran- oh wait never mind!” Charlie shut the door and backed away quickly before the door was swung open by a nightkin, most likely the one called Tabitha. Before they could even reach for their revolver in its holster, Raul pulled it out and shot at the mutant, killing her. Everyone was quiet for a few moments after that, aside from the occasional chirp from Ed-e.

“Well, that happened.” 

“Sorry boss, I should’ve asked first.”

“No no I’m glad you did it, where’d you uh, learn to shoot like that Raul?”

He just shrugged and handed them back their revolver, 

“Mexico.” 

They just nodded slowly and took back the revolver cautiously before holstering it. 

“I uh, grew up in Mexico actually.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi uh, sorry I haven't added a chapter in like a whole year! I was gonna try to follow the story in game but it was super boring so, I skipped a lot of the slow parts in the beginning (ie goodsprings, Primm, etc) they all still happened ofc, but I just didn't write them. N e ways, here is more charlie + 3 of my favorite companions in game, also i downloaded the mod to let u keep more than 2 companions and i'm definitely going to write it that way, because I love them all equally.


	4. Tonight You Belong To Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica and Charlie go out and buy a dress. That's it, that's the plot.  
> I GUESS two important characters are also introduced here too but, dress!

Charlie smiled at the pleasant scent of perfume that flooded their senses as soon as they stepped into the room. It was a good idea to give it to Veronica. Charlie fondly remembered how her eyes lit up and her smile widened when they presented it to her after the group was done scavenging in the abandoned house. 

_‘A pretty smelling perfume for a pretty girl!’_

_It was a cheesy line, but it worked miraculously. Veronicas cheeks turned a soft shade of red as she shyly accepted the perfume from them._

_‘Are you flirting with me, Doctor?’ She laughed, raising a teasing eyebrow._

_Charlie smirked, crossing their arms. ‘Only if you’ll allow it,’_

Truth be told, Charlie did have a crush on Veronica. How couldn’t they? She was attractive, and funny. They loved the way her smile could light up a room and they absolutely adored the fact that she was confident in herself, but not cocky. They were delighted when she agreed to travelling with their ragtag group, she balanced them out perfectly. Her jokes broke the silence the group had while travelling. They found it entertaining to bounce off her jokes and stories and chat while they walked through the desert. On the rare occasion, even Boone smiled at her jokes, which was something he had rarely done with Rauls or Charlie’s jokes.Charlie had never laughed so hard until they met Veronica. Together, they were an unstoppable force of chaos that would plague everyone who had to witness their shenanigans. 

When Charlie had asked Veronica out on a date, they were confident in their shot at getting a night out on the town with her. 

Charlie wasn’t exactly surprised at her response though, they were a bit disappointed, but not surprised or shocked in any way.

_Their stomach dropped as they watched Veronica’s smile fade. Had they made a mistake? Should they have not asked her?_

_“It’s not that I don’t want to,” She rubbed her arms nervously, looking back up at them,_

_“it’s just that, there’s someone else. I haven’t talked to her in years but, I still think about her a lot.”_

_Charlie offered a soft smile and put a hand on her shoulder,_

_“It’s okay, I understand.” They never talked about Jesús, but they still thought about him often, even if he had left them. “I was just afraid you were going to tell me you were in love with Raul and not me.”_

_Veronica laughed and Charlie felt their heart warm, they were just relieved they hadn’t made things awkward and she could still laugh at their dumb jokes._

_“I will take you up on your offer for a night out though,” she smiled and looked out the window at Vegas, “but you have to let me pick where to go.”_

_“Deal.”_

As soon as Veronica had stepped out of the bathroom, Charlie tried to hold in their snort as they looked at her. 

“You’re still wearing that potato sack?” Charlie motioned to the aforementioned outfit Veronica was wearing. It was worn out in it’s seams from constant use. 

Veronica rolled her eyes as she closed the door behind her.“Well sorry, I don’t own a fancy outfit.” She looked Charlie up and down, raising an eyebrow. They were actually dressed, nice. It wasn’t something you would wear to church, but it was still nicer than the NCR uniform they wore on a daily basis. They wore a white dress shirt with both the sleeves rolled up, and black pants that were slightly too long with the cuffs rolled up revealing their red sneakers. They weren’t going to be the best dressed person on the strip, but it was still nicer than the green outfit.

“You look like you’re going to gamble at one of the casinos.” Veronica crossed her arms and approached them as she examined their outfit.

“Isn’t that the plan?” 

“I don’t believe so, unless you plan on making us poor by the end of tonight.” She crossed her arms and smirked as they pushed up their glasses.

“You are correct, I don’t think I could win any of the games-”

“Not with your luck.” 

Charlie glared at her and cleared their throat, continuing as if she hadn’t interrupted them,

“-But, if any of the casinos had Caravan-”

“Again with the Caravan, we get it, you’re really good at Caravan.” Veronica punched their shoulder lightly as she walked by them and towards the door to leave her room. Charlie winced and rubbed their shoulder as they turned around and followed her out. 

“Actually though, we could go out and buy you more clothes?” Charlie waved at the Garrets as they left the Atomic Wrangler, immediately being hit by the cool night air.

“Why? What’s wrong with my potato sack?” Veronica smiled as she watched them shiver against the slight breeze, her potato sack was very effective at keeping out the elements. 

“Well, you did mention wanting a dress when we first started traveling together.” If they recalled correctly, it was one of their first conversations.

“Aw, you remembered.” 

“Of course I did, because I made fun of you for it immediately after.” Charlie smiled behind their mask as if proud of the fact they almost immediately teased Veronica upon meeting and travelling with her. The two passed the criers on the street, and turned in the direction of the strip. They walked in silence while Charlie felt anxiety build up in their stomach as they approached the securitrons at the gate. They had entered the strip before, but the thought of running into Benny before they were ready made them want to throw up. Their companions at first had encouraged them to confront him, but soon realized they shouldn’t mention Benny around Charlie as it made them incredibly stressed, and mean. 

Once the group had entered New Vegas, Charlie made the decision of pushing off on getting revenge for as long as they could. They even procrastinated on speaking to House, despite so desperately wanting to see what the inside of the Lucky 38 looked like. Instead of doing what they came to the strip to do in the first place, they had taken to helping out around Freeside and on the strip, thwarting the Omertas plans, helping the Kings and their relationship with the NCR, and running errands for the Garrets out until they were given a free room as payment for all their help. 

They quite literally did everything to procrastinate meeting Benny. 

A flashing neon light caught Charlies attention and they immediately looked in its direction.

_‘Freeside Fabrics’_

They gasped and pulled on Veronica's sleeve, stopping her right as she was about to walk past the securitrons. 

“Veronica, a clothing store!”

“Okay?”

“Let’s go!” 

Veronica turned back to look at the store and raised an eyebrow. Vegas basically never closed, and most- if not all- of the vendors were openly basically 24/7, but it was still odd to see a clothing store still open at this time of night. 

“Can we go? Pretty please?” Veronica turned her attention back to Charlie, who was trying their best to do puppy eyes in order to convince her. It really didn’t take much before she smiled and nodded enthusiastically, laughing as Charlie pulled on her sleeve the entire way to the store. 

“You’re pretty tall, but I can put together something for you, you’re not the only 6 foot something person in Vegas.” It was apparent to Charlie and Veronica upon entering that the store owner was already busy with other customers, so they entered quietly and were extra careful to make sure the door didn’t slam shut behind them. They started to wander around the shop, trying not to draw any attention to themselves as they looked at clothes that were neatly hung up on racks.

“Hello girls! Welcome to the store. Are y’all looking for anything in particular?” The two froze and slowly turned to face the owner. She was shorter than them, and wore bright red glasses that sat on the bridge of her nose. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she wore a necklace that looked like it could’ve been given to her by a significant other. 

Before Veronica could even open her mouth to respond ‘no’, Charlie grabbed her by the shoulders and smiled. 

“My companion here is looking for a dress!” The owner pushed up her glasses and looked Veronica up and down, smiling as she put a hand on her hip. 

“A dress, well, I do have plenty of those! Come, follow me and let's see what we can find for you!” 

“Oh- Uh- okay!” Veronica blushed as Charlie nudged her in the direction that the owner had started to walk in. 

“Good luck! And don’t worry, I’ll pay.” They winked at her as she entered the back room with the owner, immediately being bombarded with questions about what colors she liked and the length she wanted. 

Charlie snorted to themself and crossed their arms as they leaned against a wardrobe and started to flip through their pipboy. After a few minutes, they felt eyes burning holes through them and they looked up from their arm to see the other two customers immediately look away from them. They held in their laugh and looked back down at their arm, it was so embarrassingly obvious the two were staring, but they weren’t the confrontational type, so they let it slide.

After a few moments, they heard light footsteps walking in their direction. 

“Hi! Are you Courier 6?” Charlie felt their blood turn cold as they slowly looked up from the screen. This could go in so many ways. Was this someone who was interested in them? Or someone who really hated them? Or maybe it was just someone who had heard about them and wanted to know stories. They swallowed the lump in their throat as they made eye contact with a younger girl who stood too close for comfort. 

“I uh, Yes.” They cringed at how dumb they sounded, immediately being taken aback by the red-head grabbing their hand and shaking it enthusiastically. 

“Wow! That’s amazing! I’ve heard so much about you on the radio! You really are such a hero! You’re much shorter than I expected though!” 

Charlie adjusted their glasses and laughed nervously as they cautiously pulled their hand back. 

The girls' green eyes followed their left hand as they pulled it away, grinning excitedly. 

“Is that a real pipboy? I’d only ever seen vault dwellers with these! It’s so cool! Where’d you get it? I’ve never seen one so close before!”

Before Charlie could respond, the taller man approached the shorter girl from behind and put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her back slightly.

“That’s enough, Annamaria.” He glanced at Charlie before turning his attention back to the girl, Annamaria. 

“You’re no fun.” She pouted and crossed her arms, brushing his hand away. 

Charlie smiled awkwardly and motioned to their pipboy.

“Did you uh, did you want to see it?” Annamaria's face immediately lit up and she nodded excitedly as she grabbed Charlie’s arm and started to flip through their pipboy. 

They smiled and glanced at the taller man, who just crossed his arms and looked at the ground to avoid making eye contact with them. 

“I never thought I’d meet _the_ Courier 6! Isn’t it just amazing Cicero?” Annamaria let go of Charlie’s arm and stepped back, standing next to their companion who kept the same annoyed looking expression.

“Oh, you can just call me Charlie.” They blushed a bit at the title of Courier 6, it sounded as if they were some legend in the wasteland when in reality they were just some rando who accidentally got involved in the local issues. 

Her smile seemed to widen at their name, 

“Charlie! Oh I just adore that name! You are most definitely a Charlie!” 

They smiled and squinted happily, 

“And you’re Annamaria? That’s a pretty name,”

“Oh thank you! I didn’t get to choose it, but I do think it’s a lovely name,” She looked to her companion and slipped her arm around his, eliciting a grumble from him, “and this is Cicero! He’s,,,my Best Friend!” Annamaria smiled and leaned against him, which only seemed to annoy him further. 

Charlie smiled softly in response and waved at Cicero, his irritated demeanor faltering slightly as he just stared at them in confusion. 

_‘Oh no,’_ Charlie's stomach dropped. Did he know them? Did _they_ know him? Their smile faded and they stared at him, their eyebrows furrowing as they wracked their brain in hopes of maybe remembering something. 

“Do I know you?”

He shook his head slightly, his expression softening the slightest bit, 

“I don’t believe we’ve met, Courier.” 

They weren’t sure whether they were relieved, or disappointed, but they let their shoulders relax and they crossed their arms. 

“Sorry, I can never be too sure anymore.” 

“It’s okay.” 

Annamaria looked at Charlie, then at Cicero, then looked back at Charlie with a wide grin on her face. 

“You should come visit us at the Ultra Luxe! I work there and he’s going to be staying for a while! We could hang out!” Annamaria rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet excitedly, frowning as Cicero stepped away from her and pulled his arm from her grasp. 

Charlie chuckled and nodded happily, 

“Sure! If I ever find myself there, I’ll have to say hi to you both!” 

Before Annamaria could respond, the owner and Veronica stepped back into the room. 

Charlie's eyes widened as they stumbled past Cicero and Annamaria, and walked to Veronica, who was wearing a red dress that went down past her knees and swished with every step she took. 

“Oh! Veronica you look beautiful!” Charlie smiled as Veronicas cheeks flushed a soft red. She lightly punched Charlie’s shoulder and looked down at the ground, embarrassed. 

“Don’t go falling in love with me now.”

“No promises, amiga.” They winked at her and turned their attention to the owner,

“How much is the dress? We’ll take it!”

Veronica quickly started to protest, but went quiet as Charlie placed an arm around her shoulders, nodding. 

“It suits you! It would be a crime if we walked out of the shop without it.” 

Veronica smiled as she looked down at the ground, trying her best to ignore the stares from everyone in the shop. 

“If you insist,” 

“I do, and only because I’m the best and know everything.”

Veronica laughed and looked away as Charlie handed the caps to the owner and started to guide her to the exit. 

They looked to their two new friends, and smiled behind their mask. 

“It was really nice to meet you both! I hope we meet again soon!” 

“Likewise!” Annamaria waved excitedly, and Cicero just made eye contact with Charlie as they walked past him. Their heart jumped out of their chest as they looked into his eyes, he had maintained the same irritated expression this entire time, but his eyes had softened. It felt as if time had slowed and they suddenly forgot how to breathe, they felt their cheeks warm as they quickly turned their head to look away from him. Veronica yelped as they quickly shoved her out of the store and closed the door behind them quickly.

“Charlie?” She looked at them, worried something had happened. They leaned over and put a hand on their knee, and a hand on their chest as they felt their heart race. 

“Did you _see_ him??” They blushed as they thought about his soft hazel eyes, Charlie didn’t like eye contact, but they could definitely see themself looking into his eyes again. They felt their cheeks heat up at that thought and they stood up straight, looking at Veronica sheepishly as her smile widened.

“Ooh! Charlie has a _crush_!” She laughed as Charlie slapped her arms playfully, cursing at her in spanish. 

“We don’t speak of this ever again,”

“Okay, whatever you say, Miss _‘Did you see him’_.” Veronica teased them as they crossed their arms and walked ahead of her, pretending to be angry with her. 

“I can return that dress-”

“You wouldn’t dare!” 

The two laughed as they approached the gate again, walking past the Securitrons and entering the strip for the night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly god bless Misty for helping me with this chapter, I really do owe her my entire life.   
> Uhh also, Veronica and Charlie make me so soft, maybe we should just drop Cicero and- haha jk jk


	5. The Banquet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A courier, white glove society member, and legionary walk into the Ultra Luxe and-

It had been a week since she had met the Courier. 

Annamaria sat up in bed, clutching her arms as she shook. She sat in bed for a bit while she recalled the nightmare, it was the same one as always. They seemed to be more and more frequent though, going from once a week to every few days. She actually didn’t mind it, it just meant she got to start her days early.

The young girl kicked off the covers and walked into the bathroom, frowning at her reflection as she approached the mirror that hung over her sink. She looked like a mess, her hair had fallen out of its braid and the dark circles under her eyes were prominent. Annamaria only sighed as she turned away from the mirror, turning on the shower and undressing as she stepped into the tub. Her mother had always told her cold showers were key to starting your day. They could benefit the human body in many ways, ranging from your skin to your hair, and they would wake you up and prepare you for the day. Her mother always took cold showers, she couldn’t recall a single day where she took a warm one. 

Annamaria turned the hot water all the way up.

She carefully braided her hair as she walked down the hallways of the Ultra Luxe. It was quiet, and the only sounds she could hear were distant cheers of gamblers or glasses clinking in the main room. Ignoring the other members who stared at her from behind their white masks, Annamaria approached Cicero's room and knocked on the door 3 times, waiting for a response. A moment passed and she decided to knock again, more loudly this time. When she didn’t get a response, she sighed and pulled a keyring out of her pocket, starting to look through the keys that hung on it. She smiled triumphantly as she found the correct one, and attempted to unlock the door before it was pulled open.

“Good morning Cicero!” Annamaria quickly pulled the keyring away from the lock and hid it behind her back, looking up at Cicero and smiling despite her face being hidden behind the mask.

“What do you want?” 

She cringed at the irritated sound of his voice, he should be happier to see his best friend. The younger girl looked him up and down, he wore a white t-shirt and grey sweatpants, and his hair was obviously unbrushed. 

“You’re not dressed!” Annamaria giggled as she poked his stomach, causing him to swat her hand away.

“It’s 3 in the morning.” Cicero replied coldly, looking down at her. 

She paused and looked over his shoulder and into his room, the clock that sat on his nightstand read 3:46 AM in bright red letters. Annamaria just chuckled nervously and shrugged. 

“Indeed it is, well, that shouldn’t matter! Your day starts when mine does!” 

Cicero started to close the door when Annamaria stuck her foot in the doorway, keeping it open. 

“Your day starts when mine does.” She repeated herself, more firmly now. 

He stared at her for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should fight it.

“Right.”

He let go of the doorknob and backed off, letting her enter the room. Cicero walked to his closet, opening it and pulling out the suit he had gotten tailored.

Annamaria sat down in the chair that was placed in the corner, it was the only part of the room Cicero would allow her to occupy. He was very private, and she could respect that, for now. 

He opened the door to the bathroom and glanced back at her, 

“Are you just going to sit there?”

Annamaria stared at him for a moment before responding. 

“Do you need assistance showering?” 

“No.”

“Then yes, I’m going to sit here!” The redhead crossed her legs and placed her hands on her lap, she was willing to wait. 

Cicero just frowned at her response and entered the bathroom, closing the door and locking it behind him. Annamaria just smiled to herself. She had the key to that door as well. 

An hour had passed and the two were walking side by side down the hall together, Annamaria keeping a hand on his arm at all times. Cicero fumbled with the cuff links, glaring at her every time she slapped his hand away from his cuff. 

_‘It is improper to mess with your attire.’_ She would remind him each time, it did nothing but annoy him. 

He had never wanted to curse out a young girl so badly before.

Annamaria pulled him in the direction of a desk with a woman sitting behind it. The woman seemed to be older, she had brown hair and sad sunken eyes, and she was so pale he would have believed it if someone said she had never seen the sun before.

“Good morning Marjorie!” Annamaria smiled behind her mask, walking up to the desk and leaning over it.

“Good morning Annamaria, and, Annamaria’s friend?” She replied nervously, glancing at Cicero then back to the young girl.

“He’s new here,” 

“I can see that,” Marjorie frowned slightly, pursing her lips as she looked back to Cicero, “I wish Mortimer would inform me of new members, it’s already hard to keep track of who we have now.” 

He offered her an apologetic smile, immediately feeling dumb because he remembered she couldn’t even see his face. 

“Nonetheless, how can I help you today Annamaria?” The frown faded from Marjorie's face as she turned her attention back to Annamaria, her expression softening as she looked at the young redhead.

Cicero quickly grew bored of the conversation and looked around, examining the clean walls and floors, it was much more pristine than the rest of the Casinos, he wondered if this was how they drew people to the Ultra Luxe. There was nothing else interesting about it, at least in his opinion. 

“Is Mortimer working already?” Cicero snapped out of his thoughts and turned his attention back to the conversation, realizing he had zoned out for much longer than he intended. 

Marjorie nodded in the direction of the doors, 

“If he is, he will be at his desk.” 

Annamaria quickly thanked her and pulled him in the direction of the doors without warning. He stumbled after her, trying not to trip as he attempted to catch up with her. Annamaria was shorter, but she seemed to walk like she was in a rush all the time.

“Mortimer?” Cicero raised an eyebrow at Annamaria, who just glanced back at him. He really hadn’t left his room for the past few weeks, both because he wasn’t allowed to walk around without the mask, but he also didn’t want to leave the soft bed. It was a thousand times better than the ground. So he didn’t really have time to explore the Casino or meet everyone that worked there. “He is the co-owner of the Ultra Luxe, he and Marjorie are the bosses and we do as they say!” She answered, smiling from behind her mask.

“I think you’ll like him, you two have similar personalities!” 

Cicero rolled his eyes at her response, he knew what she meant by that.

“Good morning Mortimer!” Annamaria let go of Cicero’s arm and skipped to the desk, waving enthusiastically at the tired looking man who stood behind it. 

“Ah- good morning Anna,” He raised an eyebrow and looked at her and Cicero, “It’s a bit early for you to be out and about, isn’t it?” 

Annamaria bounced on the balls of her feet as she happily replied, 

“I thought I’d start today early! Seeing as today's the day!” 

Mortimer nodded softly, 

“That’s right, it is today. Will our guest be joining us at the banquet?” his eyes darted to Cicero, waiting for his response. 

Cicero froze, feeling as if his brain had suddenly stopped working and couldn’t produce a single coherent thought. 

“Uh-”

“He will, but he won’t be dining.” Annamaria cut in front of Cicero, smiling behind her mask. She gave him a knowing glance and turned her attention back to Mortimer, maintaining her enthusiastic attitude. Cicero very rarely found himself thankful for Annamaria, but this was one of those moments he was glad she was around to speak on his behalf. 

“Very well then, did you need something?” Mortimer quickly disregarded the entire interaction as if it hadn’t just happened, smiling at Annamaria as he shifted in his seat. 

“Yes! I wanted to know if you needed any help in preparation?” 

Mortimer frowned slightly, putting a finger to his chin as if deep in thought.

“Marjorie has extended an invite to an unexpected guest for the banquet tonight, they have a bit of a rapport of sticking their nose where it doesn’t belong.” 

“Courier 6?” Cicero froze when he realized both Annamaria and Mortimer were staring at him, he didn’t mean to say that out loud.

“Yes, the Courier,” Mortimer raised an eyebrow at Cicero, “I would appreciate it if you two both did everything in your power to keep them from the kitchen, or even from the banquet in general.” Before Annamaria could respond, Mortimer raised a finger to shush her, “No Anna, I do not mean resort to violence. I mean freak them out, make them feel unwelcome, do anything you can to discourage them from coming.” 

“You’re no fun.” Annamaria crossed her arms angrily, looking to her right.

“I apologize, but tonight must go perfectly, or else.” Mortimer looked to Cicero, glaring. 

He felt his stomach drop as he nodded quickly in response. Establishing a relationship between the White Glove Society and the Legion depended on the success of tonight's banquet, if they were to fail somehow, Cicero would have to go back to Caesar and report his failure in person. It was imperative that tonight went according to plan. 

“It’s okay! We can do that, right Cicero?” Annamaria playfully jabbed him in the side with her elbow, giggling as he stepped away from her. 

“Yeah, we can do that.” 

The next few hours consisted of Annamaria dragging Cicero around and showing him various parts of the casino, the workers she was fond of, the workers she wanted to secretly murder, and the tunnels that led to the kitchen. 

“I know, it’s a maze, but after a while you learn which turns to take to get to where you need to go!” She skipped ahead of him enthusiastically, her braid bouncing with each step she took.

“Good afternoon Philippe!” She opened a door that led into the kitchen and walked inside happily, pulling the mask off her face and setting it on the counter closest to the door.

“Oh for fucks-” Philippe looked up from his recipe book and stared at Annamaria, his eyes widening, “Oh, hi Annamaria.” 

Cicero walked in after her, pulling the mask over his head as he looked around the room.

“Who the fuck let the green giant into my kitchen?” Philippes spat as he looked up at Cicero, who just raised an eyebrow at him in response.

“This is Cicero!” Annamaria ignored his sour attitude and bounced over to Cicero, looping her arm around his and pulling him closer to her. 

“Cicero, huh?” He took a step back from the counter and sneered, “That’s obviously a legionaries name and anyone who hasn’t realized you’re a slave to Caesar is a fucking idiot. I’m surprised you haven’t already been caught, parading around here with a stupid name like ‘Cicero’, how fucking idiotic are you people?” 

“Sounds like you’re upset because Mommy and Daddy saddled you with a half-baked name like Philippe.” Cicero’s expression hardened as he crossed his arm angrily, staring down the cook.

The Chef just stared at Cicero, his irritated expression turning into a fearful one. He turned his attention back to Annamaria, his voice wavering slightly 

“I don’t like him.” 

Annamaria giggled as she hugged Cicero’s arm, her grasp tightening as Cicero tried to pull his arm away from her. 

“I think he’s perfect!” 

Philippe rolled his eyes and put a hand on his hip, glaring at them both 

“What are you even doing here? I’m busy.” 

“We’re trying to kill time before the courier comes to the casino,”

“Well go kill time somewhere el-” Philippe paused, his eyebrows furrowing, “Wait, the courier? Like, as in Courier 6?” 

“Yep!” Annamaria smiled at him, letting go of Cicero’s arm, “You know about them?”

“Know about them? I don’t know a whole fucking lot about them, but I do know that they entered the casino almost half an hour ago.” Annamaria froze in place as she stared at Philippe, who just laughed as he picked his recipe book up and began to thumb through the pages. 

“Wow, you two are fucking horrible at this whole distraction thing, the courier could have found out the entire plan by now because you two useless fucks are too busy bothering me.” 

Before Cicero could protest, Annamaria pulled him out of the kitchen by his arm. She pulled her mask on quickly and dragged him to the exit, shaking slightly as she held onto the fabric of his sleeves.

“Annamaria-” Cicero tried to pull away from her grasp as they ran up the steps, groaning in frustration as her grip only tightened.

“Mortimer will be absolutely upset with us if we mess this up! I can’t even imagine what he’ll tell her!” She kicked open the door and ignored the startled workers as she raced past them. 

“Anna-” Cicero put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her before she could walk out into the open.

“What Cicero? We need to fix this! I can’t bel-” Before she could finish yelling at him, Cicero put a finger up to shush her and pointed in the direction of the entrance. Charlie and a ghoul were at the entrance, handing over their weapons to the guard. 

“Philippe was lying, he just wanted us out of his kitchen. The courier has just barely entered the casino.” He replied calmly, shaking off his irritation.

“Oh,” she let go of his arm completely and quickly ran a hand down her braid, checking to make sure there were no stray hairs, “in a sick and twisted way, Philippe has actually helped us tonight.” She cleared her throat and turned to look at Cicero, who had crossed his arms and was glaring at her. 

“Where’s your mask?”

“In the kitchen.” 

“Why aren’t you wearing it?”

“Why’d you overreact and drag us up two flights of stairs over an obvious lie?”

Before she could respond to his retort, the pair froze at a familiar voice greeting them. 

“Hey you two! I was wondering if I would see you guys here!” 

Annamaria quickly looked up and made eye contact with the courier. They were wearing their white button up shirt and black slacks, although this time they wore black heels instead of the red converse they had last time. 

“Oh! Charlie! It’s so good to see you!” She put on a smile and bounced happily over to them, throwing her arms around their shoulders and embracing them in a tight hug. 

“Why, what brings you to the Ultra Luxe?” 

Charlie awkwardly pat Annnamaria on the back and pulled away from the hug, squinting happily. 

“Oh, Marjorie invited me to a dinner, party, banquet thing tonight!” 

They glanced at Cicero, waving awkwardly as the two made eye contact.

“Hi Cicero.” 

“Courier.” Cicero replied coldly as he watched their enthusiastic expression falter.

“I’ve never seen you wear heels before! Can you run in them?” 

Before Charlie could respond, Annamaria laughed and grabbed their arm, pulling them towards the entrance to the rest of the Casino. 

“I’m only joking of course! Let me show you around the casino!” 

They looked over their shoulder and waved at Raul, 

“ _¡Mantén un ojo fuera!_ ” 

The ghoul nodded in response and crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow as he turned to look at Cicero. 

“ _Cicero_ , huh?”

“ _Keep an eye out,_ huh?” He hissed, glaring at the shorter man whose expression didn’t change. 

The ghoul just ignored him and turned around, walking in the direction that the Courier was dragged in. As Cicero watched him disappear behind the wall, he let out the breath he had been holding in and let his shoulders relax. It was going to be a very long day. 

A few hours had passed, and it was total radio silence from Annamaria and the Courier.

Cicero had walked around the casino at least 3 times before giving up on finding them and deciding to go to his room to wait. On his way there, he realized this could be his chance to find his mask, and he made a right to head down to the kitchen. He squinted in the dim light of the halls as he stepped onto the tile floor. The red lighting had made it look like he had stepped into a horror film, and the White Glove Society wondered why people thought they were insane killers? Their very own hallways looked like they had come from straight from a haunted house.

He shoved his hands into his pockets and slowly walked down the hall, listening to the sound of his steps bouncing against the tile walls. If he listened hard enough, he swore he could hear flamers being used somewhere off in the distance. 

Cicero made a right turn and immediately was greeted with the sight of the courier and their ghoul companion. The twos eyes widened as they looked up at him, fear crossing the courier's face. 

“Hi Cicero!” They stammered as they hid their pipboy behind their back, their cheeks turning pink. 

“Courier,” He glanced between the two, raising an eyebrow, “where is Annamaria?”

“Oh! She had to use the restroo-”

“So you decided to sneak around?” He questioned. 

Charlie put a finger up to their chin and raised an eyebrow as if deep in thought before responding,

“Is it technically sneaking if I walked past two guards without being stopped?”

“Actually Boss, I think that’s called intimidating the guards into letting you pass.”

“ _Callate, Raul.”_

Cicero groaned as he rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands, already feeling exhausted. 

“Just, leave.” 

“I would love to, but,” Charlie locked up as he stared at them, waiting for their explanation. “...I can’t find the exit.” They admitted sheepishly, rubbing their arm.

Cicero just sighed and nodded in the direction of the exit. 

“Follow.” Before either of them could respond, he spun around and walked back in the direction he came, rolling his eyes as he heard their footsteps follow closely behind. 

The group made it up the stairs and to the exit before they were greeted by Annamaria waiting for them at the door. 

“Oh! There you are Charlie! I was wondering where you went off to!” She skipped over to the three and happily grabbed Charlie’s hand. 

“Dinner is being served! Cicero, Charlie, let’s go!” She extended a hand out to Cicero, who just shook his head. 

“Go without me.” He explained, “I’ll be outside.”

Annamaria frowned and pulled back her hand. She examined him for a moment before letting out a huff of defeat.

“Very well, I’ll let Marjorie and Mortimer know you will not be joining us tonight.”

Cicero just nodded in response and looked at Charlie and Raul one last time before walking past them and towards the exit. This was his last night. Before he knew it he would be back at the fort within the safety of the walls. He had only been here a few weeks and he was already tired. Not that the fort was perfect, but at least he wasn’t forced to wear stupid masks or suits and pretend to be nice to people. He was able to hide, he was able to be a nobody. Meanwhile here he stuck out like a sore thumb. 

Cicero walked outside and shivered as he was immediately hit with a cold breeze. He let out an exhale as he walked over to the wall and leaned against it, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He used his hand to hide the flame from the wind and lit the cigarette, immediately inhaling in the smoke and relaxing his shoulders. Cicero exhaled as he looked up at the sky. Another thing about the fort was that he could see the stars, there wasn’t a single bit of light pollution there. Distant memories of learning the constellations with his father flashed before quickly being pushed to the back of his mind, he didn’t have time to dwell on the past. 

"Hey stranger," 

Cicero froze as soon as he heard their voice, sliding the lighter back into his pocket and looking up at the Courier. 

"Hello." 

Charlie carefully closed the door behind them and walked over to Cicero, their hands in their pockets. 

"Is that the tux you got tailored? It looks nice." Charlie examined his outfit, raising an eyebrow slightly. 

"Yeah." Cicero rolled his eyes and took a drag from his cigarette, he despised small talk.

After a minute of silence, Charlie finally spoke again, 

"You don't talk much, do you?" 

"Nope." 

Cicero felt Charlie's eyes on him as he put the cigarette up to his lips and took another drag, irritation washed over him.

"Why are you here?" 

Charlie seemed to perk up at the question, squinting at him happily. 

"I'm here because I'm after the man that shot me-" 

"No, here." 

"I'm here because Marjorie invited m-"

"No. Here." 

Cicero watched their cheeks turn a soft shade of red as they realized what he was truly asking. 

"I wanted to talk to you," they admitted, rubbing their arm nervously as they looked down at the ground, "talking to Annamaria is nice and all, but there's something about you, you seem like a nice guy, and we really didn’t get the chance to talk today.” 

Cicero sighed as he looked at the ground, he needed to get rid of them, and he needed to get rid of them now. 

"I'm not a nice guy. You don't even know me.” He hissed, turning his head to look at them, watching Charlie's soft expression turn into one shock. He continued as he took another drag from his cigarette and expelled the smoke slowly. 

"I’m sorry you chase approval from others and want to be everybody's friend, but I genuinely do not care about you, nor will I ever care about you.” 

He crossed his arms and leaned his back against the wall, looking away from Charlie and instead at the flashing lights at the Casino across the street. One more night. 

“Truth is, you’re nobody. And I don’t have time for nobody’s.”

After a moment of silence, Charlie just nodded, letting out a sigh of defeat. 

"Fine." 

He watched them out of the corner of their eye, letting out an exhale of relief as they turned around and had started to walk back to the doors of the Ultra Luxe. Finally, he was free. They were going to go back inside, maybe go cry because he was mean to them, and then they’d leave and he would never have to see them again. Cicero almost smiled at that thought. 

. 

"Ave, true to Caesar." 

"Ave-" Cicero's eyes widened as he realized his mistake. His head snapped to look at Charlie, who looked almost as shocked as he did. He was too busy celebrating that he had forgotten where he was.

Charlie's eyes widened as they grabbed the handles and threw open the front doors, rushing back inside and leaving him alone to process what had just happened. 

He rubbed his temples and groaned, how could he have made the dumbest mistake? The most careless mistake? No proper frumentarii would have ever made that same mistake he just did. 

Cicero let himself slide onto the ground, his back pressed against the wall. He couldn't even find it in himself to care about how he was dirtying his pants or creasing his shoes.

He had truly, completely, honestly, wholeheartedly, fucked up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you see, this has been finished for over a month now, but I am lazy and dislike correcting my own work, so it took forever oops  
> Anyways, I love writing for Cicero, my little legionary who kinda sucks.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi sorry you had to read this  
> just kidding, I've been writing my entire life, reading ao3 fics for half of it,  
> and this is the first time i've ever posted to ao3.  
> I'm hoping I can actually go somewhere with this, it's really fun writing and developing my courier!  
> If you're here from Tumblr, Hi I love and appreciate you!   
> And if you're not here from Tumblr, follow me on Tumblr @/ani-stark   
> This will have very few spanish phrases, its easy to translate or I can edit it and add translations if needed


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